Computerized wagering games have largely replaced traditional mechanical wagering game machines such as slot machines, and are rapidly being adopted to implement computerized versions of games that are traditionally played live such as poker and blackjack. These computerized games provide many benefits to the game owner and to the gambler, including greater reliability than can be achieved with a mechanical game or human dealer, more variety, sound, and animation in presentation of a game, and a lower overall cost of production and management.
The elements of computerized wagering game systems are in many ways the same as the elements in the mechanical and table game counterparts in that they must be fair, they must provide sufficient feedback to the game player to make the game fun to play, and they must meet a variety of gaming regulations to ensure that both the machine owner and gamer are honest and fairly treated in implementing the game. Further, they must provide a gaming experience that is at least as attractive as the older mechanical gaming machine experience to the gamer, to ensure success in a competitive gaming market.
Computerized wagering games do not rely on the dealer or other game players to facilitate game play and to provide an entertaining game playing environment, but rely upon the presentation of the game and environment generated by the wagering game machine itself. Incorporation of audio and video features into wagering games to present the wagering game, to provide help, and to enhance the environment presented are therefore important elements in the attractiveness and commercial success of a computerized wagering game system. It is not uncommon for audio voices to provide instruction and help, and to provide commentary on the wagering game being played. Music and environmental effects are also played through speakers in some wagering game systems to enhance or complement a theme of the wagering game. These sounds typically accompany video presentation of the wagering game on a screen, which itself often includes animation, video, and three-dimensional graphics as part of presentation of the wagering game.
But, wagering game systems are placed in a variety of environments and are subject to a variety of conditions once installed. Quiet restaurants may desire a significantly lower overall volume than noisy casinos, but the restaurant may be louder during typical meal times and the casino may be significantly louder during the evening and night hours. A wagering game player playing a video slot machine at a casino during the early morning hours may desire the volume to be different than the volume during peak evening hours, just as a wagering game player in a restaurant may desire the volume to be louder during meal hours and softer during quiet times such as mid-morning or mid-afternoon. Giving the user complete control over the volume is one solution, but it fails to consider that the user may set the volume much higher or lower than the wagering game owner desires. Providing the wagering game system owner a variable master control solves this, but doesn't allow a user any flexibility for individual preferences or changing conditions.
It is therefore desired that an adaptive on-screen volume control be provided to allow user adjustment of volume relative to an adaptive master volume.